Note and Comment

Effect of Taking Possession of Mortgaged Property Under a Chattel Mortgage as Against a Junior Mortgagee; The Effect of the Reunion of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church With the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America Upon the Property of the Former; The Exclusive Use of Part of Railroad Station Grounds by Hackmen; Conflict of Jurisdiction in Bankruptcy Cases Between Federal and State Courts; Right of the Legislature to Amend Corporate Charters Under the Reserved Power; Can A Purchaser From a Tenant Acquire Title by Adverse Possession?; Can a Mortgagor After the Execution of the Mortgage Create an Easement in the Mortgage Security?; The Ohio Bulk Sales Law

Self‐injurious behaviour: limbic dysregulation and stress effects in an animal model

Background  Self‐injurious behaviour (SIB) is prevalent in neurodevelopmental disorders, but its expression is highly variable within, and between diagnostic categories. This raises questions about the factors that contribute to aetiology and expression of SIB. Expression of SIB is generally described in relation to social reinforcement. However, variables that predispose vulnerability have not been as clearly characterised. This study reports the aetiology and expression of self‐injury in an animal model of pemoline‐induced SIB. It describes changes in gross neuronal activity in selected brain regions after chronic treatment with pemoline, and it describes the impact that a history of social defeat stress has on the subsequent expression of SIB during pemoline treatment. Methods  Experiment 1 – Male Long‐Evans rats were injected on each of five consecutive days with pemoline or vehicle, and the expression of SIB was evaluated using a rating scale. The brains were harvested on the morning of the sixth day, and were assayed for expression of cytochrome oxidase, an index of sustained neuronal metabolic activity. Experiment 2 – Male Long‐Evans rats were exposed to a regimen of 12 daily sessions of social defeat stress or 12 daily sessions of handling (i.e. controls). Starting on the day after completion of the social defeat or handling regimen, each rat was given five daily injections of pemoline. The durations of self‐injurious oral contact and other stereotyped behaviours were monitored, and the areas of tissue injury were quantified. Results  Experiment 1 – Neuronal metabolic activity was significantly lower in a variety of limbic and limbic‐associated brain structures in the pemoline‐treated rats, when compared with activity in the same regions of vehicle‐treated controls. In addition, neuronal activity was low in the caudate–putamen, and in subfields of the hypothalamus, but did not differ between groups for a variety of other brain regions, including nucleus accumbens, substantia nigra, ventral tegmentum, thalamus, amygdala, and cortical regions. Experiment 2 – All the pemoline‐treated rats exhibited SIB, and whereas the social defeat regimen did not alter the total amount of self‐injurious oral contact or other stereotyped behaviours, it significantly increased the severity of tissue injury. Conclusions  A broad sampling of regional metabolic activity indicates that the pemoline regimen produces enduring changes that are localised to specific limbic, hypothalamic and striatal structures. The potential role of limbic function in aetiology of SIB is further supported by the finding that pemoline‐induced self‐injury is exacerbated by prior exposure to social defeat stress. Overall, the results suggest brain targets that should be investigated further, and increase our understanding of the putative role that stress plays in the pathophysiology of SIB.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/91181/1/j.1365-2788.2011.01485.x.pd

From early markers to neuro-developmental mechanisms of autism

A fast growing field, the study of infants at risk because of having an older sibling with autism (i.e. infant sibs) aims to identify the earliest signs of this disorder, which would allow for earlier diagnosis and intervention. More importantly, we argue, these studies offer the opportunity to validate existing neuro-developmental models of autism against experimental evidence. Although autism is mainly seen as a disorder of social interaction and communication, emerging early markers do not exclusively reflect impairments of the “social brain”. Evidence for atypical development of sensory and attentional systems highlight the need to move away from localized deficits to models suggesting brain-wide involvement in autism pathology. We discuss the implications infant sibs findings have for future work into the biology of autism and the development of interventions

From computers to cultivation: reconceptualizing evolutionary psychology.

Does evolutionary theorizing have a role in psychology? This is a more contentious issue than one might imagine, given that, as evolved creatures, the answer must surely be yes. The contested nature of evolutionary psychology lies not in our status as evolved beings, but in the extent to which evolutionary ideas add value to studies of human behavior, and the rigor with which these ideas are tested. This, in turn, is linked to the framework in which particular evolutionary ideas are situated. While the framing of the current research topic places the brain-as-computer metaphor in opposition to evolutionary psychology, the most prominent school of thought in this field (born out of cognitive psychology, and often known as the Santa Barbara school) is entirely wedded to the computational theory of mind as an explanatory framework. Its unique aspect is to argue that the mind consists of a large number of functionally specialized (i.e., domain-specific) computational mechanisms, or modules (the massive modularity hypothesis). Far from offering an alternative to, or an improvement on, the current perspective, we argue that evolutionary psychology is a mainstream computational theory, and that its arguments for domain-specificity often rest on shaky premises. We then go on to suggest that the various forms of e-cognition (i.e., embodied, embedded, enactive) represent a true alternative to standard computational approaches, with an emphasis on "cognitive integration" or the "extended mind hypothesis" in particular. We feel this offers the most promise for human psychology because it incorporates the social and historical processes that are crucial to human "mind-making" within an evolutionarily informed framework. In addition to linking to other research areas in psychology, this approach is more likely to form productive links to other disciplines within the social sciences, not least by encouraging a healthy pluralism in approach

Geographically touring the eastern bloc: British geography, travel cultures and the Cold War

This paper considers the role of travel in the generation of geographical knowledge of the eastern bloc by British geographers. Based on oral history and surveys of published work, the paper examines the roles of three kinds of travel experience: individual private travels, tours via state tourist agencies, and tours by academic delegations. Examples are drawn from across the eastern bloc, including the USSR, Poland, Romania, East Germany and Albania. The relationship between travel and publication is addressed, notably within textbooks, and in the Geographical Magazine. The study argues for the extension of accounts of cultures of geographical travel, and seeks to supplement the existing historiography of Cold War geography

Risk factors for developing COVID-19: a population-based longitudinal study (COVIDENCE UK)

Background: Risk factors for severe COVID-19 include older age, male sex, obesity, black or Asian ethnicity and underlying medical conditions. Whether these factors also influence susceptibility to developing COVID-19 is uncertain. Methods: We undertook a prospective, population-based cohort study (COVIDENCE UK) from 1 May 2020 to 5 February 2021. Baseline information on potential risk factors was captured by an online questionnaire. Monthly follow-up questionnaires captured incident COVID-19. We used logistic regression models to estimate multivariable-adjusted ORs (aORs) for associations between potential risk factors and odds of COVID-19. Results: We recorded 446 incident cases of COVID-19 in 15 227 participants (2.9%). Increased odds of developing COVID-19 were independently associated with Asian/Asian British versus white ethnicity (aOR 2.28, 95% CI 1.33 to 3.91), household overcrowding (aOR per additional 0.5 people/bedroom 1.26, 1.11 to 1.43), any versus no visits to/from other households in previous week (aOR 1.31, 1.06 to 1.62), number of visits to indoor public places (aOR per extra visit per week 1.05, 1.02 to 1.09), frontline occupation excluding health/social care versus no frontline occupation (aOR 1.49, 1.12 to 1.98) and raised body mass index (BMI) (aOR 1.50 (1.19 to 1.89) for BMI 25.0–30.0 kg/m2 and 1.39 (1.06 to 1.84) for BMI >30.0 kg/m2 versus BMI <25.0 kg/m2). Atopic disease was independently associated with decreased odds (aOR 0.75, 0.59 to 0.97). No independent associations were seen for age, sex, other medical conditions, diet or micronutrient supplement use. Conclusions: After rigorous adjustment for factors influencing exposure to SARS-CoV-2, Asian/Asian British ethnicity and raised BMI were associated with increased odds of developing COVID-19, while atopic disease was associated with decreased odds. Trial registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT04330599)

A 250 year drought catalogue for the island of Ireland (1765-2015)

This work created a 250 year historic drought catalogue by applying the Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) to the Island of Ireland Precipitation (IIP) network (1850-2015) and a reconstructed precipitation series from 1765. Documentary sources from newspaper archives spanning the last 250 years, together with other historical sources are used to (i) add confidence to the quantitative detection of drought episodes and (ii) gain insight to the socio-economic impacts of historic droughts. The results show that Ireland is drought prone but recent decades are unrepresentative of the longer-term drought climatology. A large decline in 30-year accumulated SPI-12 values is evident from around the 1990s onwards. During the years 1850-2015 seven major drought rich periods were identified with an island-wide fingerprint in 1854-1860, 1884-1896, 1904-1912, 1921-1923, 1932-1935, 1952-1954 and 1969-1977. These events exhibit substantial diversity in terms of drought development, severity and spatial occurrence. Two exceptionally long events are found in the record: the continuous drought of 1854-1860 and the drought of 1800-1809 (in fact a series of three droughts with brief interludes). Over the last 250 years droughts have resulted in agricultural hardship, water resource crises and failures and preceded some of the major famines of the 18th and 19th centuries. This work shows that newspaper archives can be used to trace the progression of drought events and impacts and we thus advocate their wider use in corroborating quantitative assessments. The resulting catalogue challenges prevailing perceptions about drought in Ireland whilst strengthening the evidence base for future drought and water resource planning across the island

Type 2 diabetes mellitus as a risk factor for the onset of depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Aims/hypothesis: An earlier meta-analysis showed that diabetes is a risk factor for the development and/or recurrence of depression. Yet whether this risk is different for studies using questionnaires than for those relying on diagnostic criteria for depression has not been examined. This study examined the association of diabetes and the onset of depression by reviewing the literature and conducting a meta-analysis of longitudinal studies on this topic. Methods: EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsycInfo were searched for articles published up to September 2009. All studies that examined the relationship between type 2 diabetes and the onset of depression were included. Pooled relative risks were calculated using fixed and random effects models. Results: Eleven studies met our inclusion criteria for this meta-analysis. Based on the pooled data, including 48,808 cases of type 2 diabetes without depression at baseline, the pooled relative risk was 1.24 (95% CI 1.09–1.40) for the random effects model. This risk was significantly higher for studies relying on diagnostic criteria of depression than for studies using questionnaires. However, this difference was no longer significant when controlled for year of publication. Conclusions/interpretation: Compared with non-diabetic controls, people with type 2 diabetes have a 24% increased risk of developing depression. The mechanisms underlying this relationship are still unclear and warrant further research

The DSM diagnostic criteria for female orgasmic disorder

This is the post-print version of the article. The official published version can be found at the link below.This article reviews the DSM diagnostic criteria for Female Orgasmic Disorder (FOD). Following an overview of the concept of female orgasm, research on the prevalence and associated features of FOD is briefly reviewed. Specific aspects of the DSM-IV-TR criteria for FOD are critically reviewed and key issues that should be considered for DSM-V are discussed. The DSM-IV-TR text on FOD focused on the physiological changes that may (or may not) accompany orgasm in women; one of the major recommendations here is that greater emphasis be given to the subjective aspects of the experience of orgasm. Additional specific recommendations are made for revision of diagnostic criteria, including the use of minimum severity and duration criteria, and better acknowledgment of the crucial role of relationship factors in FOD

Polar Data Forum IV – An Ocean of Opportunities

This paper reports on the Hackathon Sessions organised at the Polar Data Forum IV (PDF IV) (20–24 September 2021), during which 351 participants from 50 different countries discussed collaboratively about the latest developments in polar data management. The 4th edition of the PDF hosted lively discussions on (i) best practices for polar data management, (ii) data policy, (ii) documenting data flows into aggregators, (iv) data interoperability, (v) polar federated search, (vi) semantics and vocabularies, (vii) Virtual Research Environments (VREs), and (viii) new polar technologies. This paper provides an overview of the organisational aspects of PDF IV and summarises the polar data objectives and outcomes by describing the conclusions drawn from the Hackathon Sessions